Denmark’s Zenvo replies to Top Gear’s review of their ST1 supercar

While testing the ST1 first time, on a test track, the car burst into flames. The car was then repaired and sent again to Top Gear’s test track in the UK, where the £800,000 supercar did a lap time, which was slower than Ford Focus ST.

Zenvo Press Statement:

“The Stigs supercar’ at the Top Gear show.

After being named ‘The Stig’s supercar’ and credited for staggering performance in Top Gear Magazine in 2010, the car faced problems in its appearance at the Top Gear TV show. The car however, also achieved good results during the tests.

In the first visit, the clutch of the car burned out after an hour of extreme drifting by Top Gear drivers. In the second visit, a faulty intercooler fan caught fire after more than one hour of intensive high speed testing and 50 liters of fuel consumed. The source of the fire, has been traced back to a defect in the fan delivered by an acknowledged automotive supplier. After this incident, Zenvo Automotive is conducting thorough testing of all fans before mounting them in the cars.

Two unofficial tests were conducted by Top Gear during filming.

First, limited by the length of the straight line section of the track, the car reached 304 km/h (189 mph). This was the highest speed measured on the Top Gear test track in recent times.

Second, Top Gear clocked the 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) acceleration time at 2.69 seconds on a damp tarmac.

These results did not air on the show.

Instead Top Gear presented a lap time with the Stig conducted on a day when driving was not recommended in many parts of Britain due to low temperature and extreme rain. The weather conditions and the amount of water on the track severely reduced the traction on the car’s 345/30 ZR20 rear tires resulting in a lap time that does not reflect the true potential of the car in dry conditions.

Zenvo Automotive is looking forward to making a more realistic lap time in dry weather conditions.

The Zenvo ST1 has a listed price of 660.000£, not 800.000£ as was stated in the show.”